Ski Coach Profiles

As a beginner, I am amazed at all the progress we made in a week. Thanks Gordon and Tevin!

Curtis Kramchynski, Calgary, Canada

Bob Hardeman

Bob is from California and is a tournament certified boat driver. He is also an amazing slalom skier and coach. Bob just won the Mens 7 Regionals back in July.

Chris Parrish

Skiing since the age of three under the tutelage of his NASA engineer father, Mike, Chris Parrish has emerged to become one of water skiing’s greatest slalom athletes. As a four-time world record holder, Parrish is known for his uncanny balance and efficiency on a ski. He’s also known for his infectious enthusiasm and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Read more...

Doug Meeker

Doug Meeker is a MasterCraft boat dealer in Illinois and was a guest at Ski Paradise until he qualified for the Open Division in slalom skiing and became an excellent coach.

Fred Halt

Swiss water ski champion Fred Halt love’s the “ah-ha” moments on the water when he’s coaching, but what really drives him is helping his students find the path to get there. “We are all so unique in how we control our body, understand and feel things while on the water that the process to customize and communicate tips is what makes the whole coaching process interesting,” he says. Read more...

Greg Badal

Greg is from Brentwood, California and is a Big Dawg Champion and a Men's Masters Slalom Champion. Greg just won the Big Dawg tournament at BroHo lake in Washington. Greg beat former World Champion and record holder Jeff Rodgers in the finals!

Jim Hammer

Jim Hammer is a true water ski ambassador. He represents all of the good the sport is about with his easy-going attitude and humble approach to coaching and challenging skiers of all abilities to not only reach their peak performance, but to have fun on their journey. “I really love to coach!” says Jim. “It’s so much fun for me to see someone improve and get that same smile that I had when I’d learned something new.” Read more...

Kris LaPoint

Kris LaPoint knows a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to slalom skiing. Setting his first world slalom record at the ripe age of 13, he swerved on to become one of sport’s most iconic figures in a pro career that spanned over 40 years. Aside from his many Masters titles and world records, LaPoint was known for his extensive R&D on skis and boats, and his ability to maximize his equipment. In fact, you’ll still find him today tinkering and testing Mapple Skis at his private lake (LaPoint Ski Park) in Orlando, Florida. As a longtime guest coach at Ski Paradise, Kris enjoys working with skiers at all abilities and takes pride in advancing the sport forward with time and energy. Read more...

Jennifer LaPoint

Ski Paradise has been host to water ski hall of famer and guest coach Jennifer LaPoint every January for the past decade. As one of the most prolific women’s slalom skiers on the pro tour in the mid-80s and 90’s, LaPoint set numerous world records and enjoyed 30 career pro victories. In addition to her skills on the water, LaPoint was a significant advocate for women’s skiing, founding Women of Water Skiing in 1992, a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching women to ski through free clinics across the country. Known for her “let’s get to business” approach to slalom instruction, LaPoint’s students appreciate her candor and enthusiasm for helping them reach their goals. Read more...

Mike Suyderhoud

It’s an honor to host guest coaches in Acapulco like hall of a famer Mike Suyderhoud. The former world jump record holder and five-time world champion was a dominant figure in the water ski world in the late 60s and 70s, and anytime you can spend a week with a person that has immersed themselves in a sport for more than 50 years, there’s plenty to learn. Forever a student of the sport, Mike continues to seek new ways to improve his “West Coast Technique.” “It’s the thing that’s kept me motivated,” he says. “It’s making skiers better and increasing the knowledge of the sport.” Read more...

Paul Chapin

One thing is for certain about Ski Paradise guest coach Paul Chapin, the guy gets around! As a flight captain for American Airlines, Paul’s had the great luxury of traveling the world for his job, and it’s not often that he leaves his ski at home. “It has offered me the opportunity to ski at locations as diverse as Ottawa, Canada, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Mexico, Hawaii, Acapulco, and of course, the USA,” he says. Growing up in Minnesota, Paul learned to water ski and snow ski at a young age, and both sports continue to be lifelong passions with national titles won. As president of the USA Water Ski and Wake Sports Foundation, he takes pride in preserving the history of the sport and recognizing its heroes at the annual Hall of Fame ceremonies. Paul’s also excited about planning for the sport’s future with the organization’s new Lake Myrtle Water Sports Complex in Auburndale. Read more...

Seth Stisher

Seth Stisher makes skiing fun, plain and simple. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Stisher shares his love and passion for the sport with skiers that visit his ski school (OZ Ski), and attend his traveling clinics throughout the world. As a guest coach for Ski Paradise since 1999, Stisher’s coaching philosophy centers around teaching you the best technique and training methods based on what you already know while maintaining a relaxed learning environment. As a student of the sport, he’s always pushing himself to learn more efficient ways to ski and he enjoys breaking down the fundamentals and making it easy to understand. Watch him ski, and you’ll be inspired to follow his lead. Read more...

Thomas 'TGas' Degasperi

There are only a few skiers on the planet that have the competitive moxie to perform their best when it matters. Thomas Degasperi is one of those skiers. Hailing from Trento Italy, Thomas has won just about every major slalom title there is to win, but there’s more to him than just his skiing ability. Thomas has the unique ability to connect with anyone. Must be because he grew up at his parents' ski school, and was exposed to people from all over the world. Now based in Orlando Florida, where he runs his ski school, Thomas is passionate about sharing the sport with the next generation while he continues to be one of the world’s best shortline slalom skiers. We’ve been lucky to host Thomas at Ski Paradise as a guest coach for the last eight years. Read more...

Todd Ristorcelli

As the former editor of WATERSKI magazine for nearly 20 years, Todd Ristorcelli has been a guest at Ski Paradise since 1999. “I can’t get enough of this place,” says Todd. “I think it has been 12 visits and counting.” Up early every morning on the top deck of Villa Aquina overlooking Acapulco Bay, you’ll find Todd getting inverted, doing yoga, and preparing for an epic day of skiing at Coconut Lagoon. Read more...

Will Bush

Northern California native Will Bush has spent the better part of his life completely immersed in water skiing. From tournament skiing and winning titles as he’s progressed through the age divisions of USA Water Ski to providing record pulls as a chief driver in elite events throughout the world and shaping world-record setting skis, his many contributions to the sport have been well received. Will’s always been a builder and fixer. He loves the challenge of looking at something, taking it apart, and figuring out why it works and then improving on the process. It’s his love for maximizing performance that has not only made him an invaluable team member for D3 Skis and MasterCraft Boats but an amazing coach who profoundly cares about helping his students progress. Read more...

Elaine Bush

If there’s anyone who knows what Ski Paradise has to offer its guests, it’s Elk Grove, California’s Elaine Bush. Ever since Ski Paradise opened its doors in 1989, the longtime competitive skier and tournament driver has made a yearly trip to Acapulco to experience the water ski vacation of a lifetime, and progress her skills in the process. Besides being one of the planet’s best boat drivers, Elaine is known for bringing a positive attitude and enthusiasm to the table with every student that she coaches. Read more...